Stolen Sweetheart

Chapter 3

Hot breaths fell upon the skin of my neck. A weight was crushing my chest, disturbing my respiration and restrained my mouvements.

Sleep still clouded my mind, only a small part of my conscience started to try realising what was happening. I wiggled and snuggled deeper in the blankets, but that caused whatever rested on my ribcage to slide on my throat, suffocating me. 

This time, panic seeped through the fog of my slumber, pulling me awake, away from peaceful dreamland back to this world where I was being freaking asphyxiated ! With the sudden acceleration of my heart, my limbs anxiously kicked around under the blankets as my eyes shot open.

My desperate - and let's admit, chaotic - attempt at escaping death sent the ball of  grey fur resting on my neck tumbling down on the mattress next to me. Everything snapped back into place up in my waking brain at the sight of my ruffled cat. A sigh that sounded more like a groan made his way out of my dry mouth.

"What the fuck, Des ?"

Both ears backed in a vexed gesture, frizzy whiskers with ruffled fur on the left side of his face, and a pair of accusatory green eyes told me his waking up was as bad as mine. Why did he insist on sleeping there ? No matter how many times we had woken up like this these past few years, Despote still climbed on me in the middle of the night and settled at the crook of my neck. When he was still a kitten, it hadn't been a problem. But the rascal had grown without out-growing his habit. 

And he had the audacity to be mad, fleeing the room in slow haughty strides !

That'll teach me to give him such a name. "Despote'' ha ! He took himself for royalty and his wants were law. The worst was that most of the time, I didn't even mind his attitude ; that only proved how much he had me wrapped around his figurative little finger.

I let myself fall back, rolled on my stomach and threw my arm around Taki-kun, my giant teddy bear... Only for my alarm clock to ring three seconds later. 

An inhuman sound of despair escaped me.

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"Well, we made it through morning classes." Miguel's bright voice sounded from behind me.

"Yeah," I scoff, "well the day's only halfway done, don't cheer for victory just yet." 

We'd met after the last class we had, which we didn't share, and were now lining up for food in the cafeteria. As previously stated, the day was long from finished, and I already was ready to head home. Yet today after class was my interview for the part time job I had applied to. My bed was still a long way from now.

"Did you sympathize with anybody yet ?" He asked me as I picked my tray up. 

"Not really... The girl next to me in math lent me a ruler, if that counts. Her name's Sam I think."

"Even if it does count I'm guessing it's not enough to sit at her table, right ?"

In the same mouvement, we turned to face the crowded room, where all tables were already taken by people in groups with varying numbers. I gripped my tray tighter, a knot forming in my stomach.

"Right." I breathe out. "Let's just sit over th..." 

Miguel cuts me off by bumping into my shoulder. My eyes searched for whatever he was staring at, and fell on the group of boys at the vending machine. I frowned.

"Those are the guys from last time. Let's just go over there."

We slowly made our way in the opposite direction, through the tables full of already familiar friend groups. In the middle of the cafeteria though, there was a mostly empty spot : only two boys were seated there. The brown haired one noticed us approaching first and elbowed whom I assume to be his friend to hint at our arrival.